Posted by Lisa Cruz on Tue, Jan 31, 2012 @ 09:08 PM
So, how does corned beef hash fit into branding and communications you might be asking? Hang in there, I'm about to explain. The above photo was another posting on my Facebook page by one of my friends who sees or eats corned beef hash and thinks of me. Why you might ask? Because I am passionate about corned beef hash.
It is one of my most favorite foods in the world. When we have friends or family overnight I often whip up a batch of corned beef hash. I eat it with eggs. I eat it on top of bagels and cream cheese. I have eaten it for dinner, I have eaten it for lunch. If I don't feel like cooking corned beef hash, it's not uncommon for us to go out to eat and treat ourselves to such a delectable delight. You get the idea. I am passionate about it! And my friends and family know it.
What I've just described is what you need to do with your business and its' branding. You must "own" what you do and be the best at it. But in order to be the best, you must have passion. If you own it, have passion and tell the world about it, you will be remembered and associated with it.
When you have that type of clarity with your passion, it also translates to clarity with your communications. It's really that simple.
I'm betting if you read this post, the next time you see Corned Beef Hash on a menu, you might also think of red shoes!
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Posted by Red Shoes on Tue, Jan 24, 2012 @ 04:17 PM
Have you ever thought about firing your client? Well Paula Deen's PR rep recently fired the celebrity chef over the handling of her recent admission that she has diabetes. See New York Post story
here.
It had to be a difficult decision to end a six-year relationship, do you think it was justified? An even better question is, have you ever fired a client? How do you handle a disagreement over strategy?
-Maria Nelson, Senior Account Executive
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Posted by Lisa Cruz on Mon, Jan 23, 2012 @ 12:31 PM
I wrote a column for today's local newspaper on what I see as the latest and greatest trends for 2012 in social media. I'm sure I missed a few so let us know what else is on the horizon for the new year.
And Happy New Year to all of you!
The Post Crescent MarketSmart Column
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Posted by Lisa Cruz on Thu, Dec 01, 2011 @ 02:36 PM
This morning we had the opportunity to present to Well City, Fox Cities. The group was looking for some tips on how to engage employees in company's wellness programs through communications. A few of the main points we went over included being consistent in your communications (in other words don't start off with a bang and then drop off the radar), think how to present your ideas differently (try something other than PowerPoint), and empower employees to start up their own peer network on social media.
If you are looking for some ideas to kick-start your communications, click here for the presentation.
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Posted by Lisa Cruz on Fri, Nov 11, 2011 @ 02:49 PM
You might be a marketing director, a CEO or a VP and considering a stronger focus on your PR efforts. Perhaps you have been frustrated by the lack of coverage your company gets in the media. Maybe you are figuring out that your online presence amounts to nil and people can't find you on the Internet. Whatever your reasons, here are a few questions you should ask of yourself and your organization to figure out if you are really serious about dipping your toe in the world of PR.
1) Do you have time and resources to invest in PR? PR is hard work. Not only for the agency you hire but for your organization as well. PR is only as good as the information your company willingly shares with your PR folks. PR people cannot make up stories (really, the good ones don't!). But for them to get the stories to pitch, your organization needs to continously feed information to them. This takes work. You need to take the time and the investment to make a cultural change so PR is on the forefront of everyone's minds.
2) Are you ready for the bad as well as the good? Often, when you raise the public profile of your company it also can lead to some uncomfortable situations. And uncomfortable situations can require a response from the organization. In today's era of transparency there is no place left to hide. The media will find you and the online community will expect a response. I'm not trying to scare you but prepare you for reality.
3) Are you able to provide information to the media and online community in a timely manner? Bluntly put, it's not so much about your deadlines, it's the speed in which communications take place today. Media has deadlines, your online community expects prompt responses ... can you handle those demands? We've said it before, it's a 24/7 world we live in and promptness is required. It's not an option. Being able to meet deadlines is part of the relationship building process and a very important part of the relationship.
These are some hard questions to answer but they can help you "set the table" for PR success.
Flickr photo by DoBeRaGi
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Posted by Lisa Cruz on Tue, Oct 25, 2011 @ 02:28 PM
Does your organization have a crisis communications plan? Remember, you have time now to prepare a plan, not when you receive the bad news. Take a look at this presentation we gave at UW Fond du Lac this morning. It used to be that a major crisis would happen every so often. Now with the speed of communications, even a small, seemingly benign situation can quickly spin out of control. Let us know what you think of the presentation or if you have any other tips to share. Tweet me @lisaredshoespr or @redshoespr
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Posted by Red Shoes on Fri, Oct 14, 2011 @ 01:49 PM
This blog is written by Karen Buckoski, senior account executive at Red Shoes PR.
This Saturday, I’m going to be taking off to Orlando to attend the PRSA International Conference. I’m beyond excited to be representing Red Shoes PR among thousands of PR professionals from around the world.
Just a couple of reasons (among the many) that I’m looking forward to this conference include:
‘The Strategic Adviser in Action During Crisis’ session
On Sunday morning, I will be attending a half-day seminar focused specifically on crisis lead by James E. Lukaszewski. If you have worked with me in the past, you might happen to know about my passion for crisis communications Participation in this session makes me giddy. I absolutely love the on-your-toes thinking and immediate problem solving that crisis situations allow. This workshop will definitely be a learning opportunity for me.
Networking, networking and more networking!
I have a passion for PR and nothing makes me more excited than being surrounded by other people who share the same passion. One of my favorite things about attending conferences is meeting new people. If you happen to be attending the conference, feel free to look me up (920) 420-7078 (yes, that is my cell phone number). You can also tweet (@karenredshoespr) me.
Searching out the latest updates in PR software
Is it weird to say that I’m excited to talk with vendors and find out about the latest trends in PR software? Every year about this time, we go through the task of deciding which PR software company stands out among the rest for our news release distribution, media database, monitoring and more. Advancements in technology has really improved these services over the years and I can’t wait to see what’s new out there this year that I can bring home with me to the office.
Recharge and motivate
Probably one of the things I’m looking forward to most is having time to recharge and motivate myself. Between the hustle and bustle of the 24/7 news cycle, daily tweets, e-mail responses, Facebook posts and conference calls, it is easy to quickly spiral out of control. It will be nice hear about the latest strategies and insight from industry leaders. I look forward to hearing about effective tools and strategies that we can immediately start to put into place at Red Shoes PR.
From Saturday through Tuesday, make sure to follow me, @karenredshoespr, on Twitter to hear all about my travels. I look forward to helping bring a little piece of #PRSAicon to you if you cannot be there. And if you are attending, I look forward to the chance to meet up!
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Posted by Red Shoes on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 @ 08:17 PM
We spend a lot of time trying to reach our target audiences, whether it's media through pitches, potential clients through networking or clients' customers through social media. It's easy to get caught up in the chase of following new trends and sometimes we lose sight of what works best. This is a reminder to not over think things and that sometimes the tried and true methods are the best solution.
This became glaringly clear to me last night while I was attending an overwhelmingly successful client event (we cannot claim credit for this event, it is entirely our client's doing). This particular client is a health care provider in a rural community and they hold an annual event focused on women's health. There's a lecture portion with a doctor talking about women's health issues and a keynote speaker, usually a local celebrity, followed by healthy snacks and door prizes. Local businesses are involved and set up booths with information about their companies. Registration for the event wasn't until 5:45 p.m., but at 5 p.m. sharp the venue started filling up - it was amazing to see.
More than 550 women (and a few men!) attend every year. For a town of about 3,000, that's an enviable turnout. The event is a success because it's uncomplicated and provides the target audience with what it wants:
- A chance to socialize with friends and neighbors
- An opportunity to see what's new in the community
- Free stuff (a lot of door prizes, giveaways and food)
It was refreshing to see such a happy, engaged group turning out in droves for an event and it was a great reminder for me that you can have all the social media tools you want, but the best way to reach people is to give them the information in a format they're comfortable with.
-Maria Heim is a senior account executive at Red Shoes PR
-Photo credit: Jorge Dragon on Flickr
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Posted by Lisa Cruz on Mon, Sep 26, 2011 @ 02:31 PM
You ever feel like your tongue is tied when it comes to meeting someone new? Not sure what to talk about when it's time to make small talk? Join Pulse, MeetMeme and Red Shoes PR for a night of networking fun as we kick it off with some networking tips from @tommytrc and @lisaredshoespr and then it's on to games with Meet- Meme and networking cards.
Need more information? Click here. Or here.
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Posted by Red Shoes on Thu, Sep 22, 2011 @ 10:37 AM
Between news releases, media alerts, blogs, clients emails and other communications, proofing is constantly an important task that needs to be done throughout the day. It is easy to rush through this important step, especially on busy days. So, here are five tips to make sure you take the time to do a thorough job proofing.
Read out loud: Yes, you might sound silly sitting at your desk reading, but it is easy to catch misspellings, missing words and other common mistakes.
Print it out (sorry, trees): Personally, I find it easier to proof something if I have a hard copy in front of me and a pen in my hand. Many of spend nearly all day staring at a computer screen and are so used to spell checks and grammar checks that we become lazy. I like to print out a release, read it out loud and mark it up as I go.
Walk away from it: We all have communications come up that we need to get out the door right away, but if you have the time, put it down and walk away from it. I find myself more likely to catch errors if I turn my attention to something else for an hour or so and then come back to it. If it is something you have worked on for an extended period of time, it is especially easy to miss errors write off the bat.
Slooowww down: We have a lot of distractions in the work day, especially with social media. Now, more than ever, it is important to slow down and focus. Dont flip back and forth between your document, email and Facebook or other site. Concentrate on what you are working on, give it your full attention. Even when you are in a rush, try to slow it down and give it your full attention. You’ll save yourself time in long run.
Ask a coworker: Getting a pair of fresh eyes is key. Ask a coworker who isn’t involved in the project to take a look at it. They’ll be able to think about it from a different angle, ask questions or point out an obvious mistake you may have missed.
Be the first person to tweet @redshoespr with the five mistakes in this post and we will send you a Red Shoes PR mug. Sign mistakes not included:)
-Blog by Rachel Wollersheim, Assistant Account Executive
Photo by mattfoster's photo stream
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